On a day where he received virtually no help until the final minute of Game 4 of the Miami Heat's second-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, James carried the Heat to a 102-96 victory. He ended up with an astounding stat line of 49 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Brooklyn fought an uphill battle the entire contest and actually had a lead in the final quarter, but Miami made the critical plays down the stretch. Not to be overlooked in James' brilliance was the backbreaking three-pointer that Chris Bosh drilled to give Miami the lead in the final minute.

The storyline to watch heading into the game was the head-to-head matchup between James and Paul Pierce. Bleacher Report noted that Pierce was not afraid of the challenge:

Paul Pierce says he wants to defend LeBron James tonight and says the Heat are "not unbeatable" http://t.co/zlWXGfRo2r

Kevin Garnett also helped set the stage after Game 3, telling reporters, "I think this is a must-win coming up Monday. If we want to give ourselves any type of room ... any type of chance, I think that we've definitely got to take care of home."

That lack of fear on Brooklyn's side translated to some physical and emotional play in the early going. The NBA on TNT and Rod Boone of Newsday highlighted the initial proceedings:

Things seemed to get worse at the start of the second quarter when Deron Williams picked up his third personal foul, but Tim Bontemps of the New York Post suggested that Jason Kidd made the right decision to leave his point guard in the game. The Nets went on a run and actually took the lead shortly after D-Will's third foul:

Risky move by Kidd leaving Williams in here, but I like it. He's playing great, and Nets have opened the second on a 9-2 run fueled by him.

Perhaps recognizing an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, James was clearly engaged in this one. The Heat took a 56-49 lead into intermission thanks to his incredible performance, as the Heat, ESPN and Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press highlighted:

Even with an inspired run to cut the lead to one, James was simply too much for the Nets through the first three quarters, and Miami had a 79-76 lead entering the final frame. Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel put it in perspective:

LeBron reminds me of that old cartoon where Bugs Bunny plays all nine baseball positions. He's doing it all.

Even though James was in foul trouble, the game was tied at 94 with 1:15 remaining, and then Chris Bosh drilled a backbreaking three-pointer to give the Heat the lead for good. The entire defense collapsed on James, leaving Bosh wide open for the shot in the corner.

Ray Allen clinched it with two pairs of free throws, and Miami took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

What's Next?

Game 5 is Wednesday back in Miami, but this series is as close to over as it can possibly be.

Who wins Game 5?

Miami HeatBrooklyn NetsSubmit Votevote to see results

Who wins Game 5?

Miami Heat

93.0%

Brooklyn Nets

7.0%

Total votes: 4,273

The Nets left everything on the line on their home court Monday and still came up short against James and company. It was the type of disheartening loss that is nearly impossible to recover from in terms of a mental standpoint in the postseason.

If there is one positive to take away from this game for Brooklyn, it is that nobody on the Heat played particularly well except for James, but his individual brilliance was just enough.

The lack of help for James may be a problem in later rounds against better teams, but it won't be against the Nets.